


The Same Path (Under The Moonlit Sky)

by elutherya



Series: The Stars that Light Up the Dark [1]
Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Biting, Coming Untouched, Dragon!Byeongkwan, Getting Together, Hair-pulling, Hemipenis, M/M, Marking, Masturbation, Nicknames, Praise Kink, Prince!Yuchan, Rebellion, Rimming, hair cutting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elutherya/pseuds/elutherya
Summary: It’s the silence that draws Yuchan back, has him turning away from the window and back to the room. There are eyes on him, so many lined with disappointment and annoyance, but it’s not the council that has him sitting straighter in his seat. There are eyes on him, the dragon's attention rapt on him and waiting. His lips pull into a smile as soon as he realizes Yuchan is looking at him, “Are we boring you, little prince?”
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan/Kim Byeongkwan
Series: The Stars that Light Up the Dark [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961029
Comments: 26
Kudos: 158
Collections: The Stars that Light Up the Dark





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Omegatits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omegatits/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Every moment that's passed (since the miracle of meeting you)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692216) by [Omegatits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omegatits/pseuds/Omegatits). 



> A massive shoutout to Dae, who hurled the idea of dragon Byeongkwan pulling Yuchan's long hair at me and then continued to scream about it with me for the next nine days. They let me run with this side of the idea and I'm so thrilled that they did and we have continued to plot within this verse. Seriously, we have so much planned, it's honestly ridiculous. [lifts Dae up like in the lion king] I love this gremlin with my whole heart.

It’s incredibly obvious that Yuchan does not have a say. 

The council moves about him as if he isn’t even there, just a pretty painting on the wall, only to be admired and remain voiceless. The council raises their voices, ease over each other's worries, reiterate the plan over and over, and not once do they ask Yuchan for his thoughts.

Weeks of meetings and Yuchan doesn’t think he’s opened his mouth once in all of that time. It’s not something he’s entirely surprised by, not when he’s never been asked for his opinion in the past. As far as the council is concerned, his opinion is something they will never find a need of. It grates at his nerves, has his fingers curling against the table in front of him as he watches them gather in front of him.

 _Remain silent_ , an expectation despite his current position.

His attention diverts as an attendant throws open the doors to the hall and scurries in, his robes swirling about him as he bows deep. “He’s arrived.”

The commotion in the room increases for a moment, the council calling silence to their planning because they’ve officially run out of time.

Yuchan remains seated, watching as a filter of attendants move into the room. The papers across the table are quickly traded for bowls of fruits, rice cakes, and cups of tea. Vases of flowers from the garden are placed with careful hands amongst everything and the way the room transforms in front of him is always a sight.

It’s rare that they call for such pageantry, but the meeting that the council called is beyond anything they’ve dealt with in the past. They’d spared nothing and missed no detail.

Yuchan tugs at his hanbok, the sheer white of them standing out starkly against the dark wood furniture that filled the hall. He’d been woken early, hands immediately working through the knots in his hair, and powdering and lining his face. Dressed and done up like a helpless doll, but that was exactly what he was in his own court. 

Everyone goes quiet, everyone sitting stands, Yuchan looks up towards the door. 

The attendant holding open the door shivers, but Yuchan barely catches it, too focused on the man walking through the doorway. The stories always talked about how threatening and monstrous the dragons were, how unmistakable they were and it was something Yuchan had always expected to mean in appearance.

The truth was anything but.

Byeongkwan was small, his hanbok dancing around him as he walked into the room on near silent footsteps. His eyes moved over the room quickly and Yuchan caught the way they flickered from emerald to red when they landed on him, before he went back to taking in the rest of the room. Two horns sat at the top of his head, nearly hidden in the mass of his sandy hair and when he tilted his head, pink bloomed like shadows under his skin, shifting and shimmering. Visible signs of the magic that burned within the dragon.

“Welcome Byeongkwan,” Hajoon’s voice cuts through the silence, efficiently breaking it. It has Yuchan clenching his jaw, annoyance at the fact that even this, greeting the guests in his court, they’ve taken away. He digs his nails in tighter against the tops of his thighs, reigning the little voice that tells him to speak up, to take charge.

He turns away, looking towards the window that overlooks the garden. At the beginning of summer, the flowers are blooming and looking out gives him a few moments to center himself again. _Remain silent_ , it’s the reminder he gives himself as he loosens his fingers from his robes, and exhales long and slow.

The voices around him continue, discussion that he is not needed for.

He counts his own breathing, knows his role here is only to pretend to oversee a deal. It’s easy to tune out the conversations as well as his own curiosity about their guest. Despite the crown on his head, he’s not in the position to let his curiosity guide him and so he folds his hands into his lap and tries not to let the burn of his eyes twist into something more.

It’s the silence that draws him back, has him turning away from the window and back to the room. There are eyes on him, so many lined with disappointment and annoyance, but it’s not the council that has him sitting straighter in his seat. There are eyes on him, the dragon's attention rapt on him and waiting. His lips pull into a smile as soon as he realizes Yuchan is looking at him, “Are we boring you, little prince?”

Yuchan swallows under Byeongkwan’s gaze, surprised at being addressed at all. “Not at all,” he manages, despite the way his voice comes out worn from disuse. He winces under Byeongkwan’s unwavering attention, even as the council members turn away, dismissing Yuchan once again.

“Mmm,” Byeongkwan doesn’t seem to believe the words, blinking slowly. To Byeongkwan’s right, Daehyun says something that Yuchan misses, frozen under the attention. “The territories you’re offering don’t interest me.”

Byeongkwan folds himself down onto a cushion, body a lazy sprawl that has a handful of the council wincing, before they follow suit and take their own seats at the table. Still, they continue to talk, but Yuchan misses everything, too focused on the way Byeongkwan tilts his head to study him in turn, before glancing back towards Hajoon.

Yuchan knows what they’re doing, has spent weeks listening to them create a list of items to offer the dragon in their domain. In trade for protection, in trade for good fortune, in trade for Byeongkwan not turning his ire on them and bringing their kingdom to ruin. An appeal and one that Yuchan cannot tell if Byeongkwan is even considering. 

He knows the list, from the land, to priceless items in their galleries, to food stores, and all the way to a sacrifice the council has deemed fitting. It makes Yuchan’s stomach churn, the longer they sit there and Byeongkwan’s expression remains impassive. He taps his claws against the lacquered top of the table, dismissive of each offer.

“I don’t care for your trinkets,” Byeongkwan sighs as he reaches forward to one of the bowls of fruit. He plucks free a slice of pear, eyes shifting towards Yuchan, before he’s glancing back to Hajoon. “All you’ve done so far is waste my time and my patience.”

There’s a threat underlying the words, one that has Hajoon flushing in what Yuchan can only assume is fear. Yuchan closes his eyes, focusing on not giving his feelings away, already expecting the last offer Hajoon will make. A beat of silence, and Yuchan opens his eyes again, unsurprised to find Byeongkwan once again watching him in turn.

“We’ve prepared a sacrifice,” the words have Yuchan fighting the ache in his chest. How easily his council will throw one of their own to a dragon to appease him. 

Byeongkwan makes no show that he’s heard their final offer, attention drawn down to the piece of fruit held between his fingers. He takes a delicate bite, and it’s the first time Yuchan’s gotten a look at his teeth. They’re sharp and pointed, and have Yuchan sucking in a shallow breath. The corners of Byeongkwan’s lips pull up, a quick glance towards him, before he quickly finishes off the remaining piece of fruit.

The tension in the room is palpable, the council waiting for Byeongkwan’s response. 

And yet, Yuchan cannot take his eyes off the way Byeongkwan’s forked tongue flicks out to lick at the tips of his own fingers.

“A sacrifice?” Byeongkwan’s voice drops low and this time, Yuchan’s the one shivering. 

“We can arrange a meeting,” Daehyun is quick to follow up in Hajoon’s obvious fluster. The scramble now that they’ve finally earned some kind of reaction, some kind of interest, no matter how minor. “If you would be willing to stay the night, we can arrange a meeting for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Byeongkwan repeats as he pushes himself up from his seat. He drags his fingers over the top of the table as he stands, sparks trailing behind them. “You do not have many chances to impress me, you better have picked well.”

The room falls into silence as Byeongkwan turns on his bare feet and leaves the hall. No formalities, not with an ancient beast in human guise. He leaves and with him, the weight in the room follows. The way tension leaves the council is palpable, but Yuchan remains rigid in his seat.

“You nearly ruined this,” Junsuh hisses at Yuchan’s side, before he too is standing and walking towards the door to shut it behind Byeongkwan.

Yuchan glances back to the window, and lets his attention fade as they once again pick up conversation, “It won’t happen again.”

* * *

It’s hours after the meeting with Byeongkwan that Yuchan finally unfolds himself from his seat and leaves the hall to return to his room. His legs ache, but he pushes past the discomfort, knowing he will be left in peace for the evening now that the council has dispersed. 

His robes feel heavy and he undoes them with deft fingers, letting them fall to the floor around him. He sheds out of the layers, removing the expectations of his position, or at least the false expectations. Stepping out of the pile of fabric, Yuchan pads over the nightstand in the room, glad to find a bowl of water and cloth waiting for him already. He uses the cloth to wipe down his face, removing the powders from his face and sweat from the day. 

He feels young, stripped down from the clothing of his rank and the way they had made up his face. That understanding that he really is nothing without a crown and the things that mark him clearly as a prince. He keeps his gaze on the floor as he sets aside the cloth and combs his fingers through his hair, working out the braids and shining pieces of jewelry that had been strung through it.

Carefully, he leaves each piece on his dresser, making sure to put every garment away, even knowing they’ll all be pulled out again tomorrow. Dress him up to play his position, and leave him to put himself away.

It’s a familiar routine, but tonight feels different. It’s in the way his fingertips burn and frustration sits heavy in his chest. It has him wanting to spin back on his heels and sweep his hand across his dresser, hurling everything to the floor. It has him wanting to storm back into the hall and tell them they were fools. It has him wanting to track down the dragon no doubt prowling through the halls and ask him how it feels to walk with such confidence.

Instead, Yuchan sits on the edge of his bed, the burn in his eyes back and hard to will away. 

Overwhelming, it was all so incredibly _overwhelming_.

Laying back down against the bed, Yuchan stares at the ceiling, thoughts swirling around the meeting and the way it made his entire body ache. He closes his eyes and all he can see is the spark of Byeongkwan’s eyes, sharp and knowing. Being under his attention, he had felt seen in a way he hadn’t felt in years. Like he wasn’t just a ghost sitting at the head of a table while the world moved on around him.

He’d felt _seen_ and it made his chest ache that the very creature his kingdom feared was the one that had made him feel like that. Pathetic that all it had taken was one question and eyes drifting his way on occasion to have him burning with something that wasn’t just anger.

Yuchan inhales and digs his nails into the bare skin of his waist as he thinks back to the way Byeongkwan had paused at their offering of a sacrifice. He had refrained from an immediate answer, had made them wait and the respect the council had had in letting him get away with that.

A small little noise and Yuchan is startlingly aware of how affected he is. He opens his eyes, keeping his gaze on the ceiling above him and sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. _Pathetic, truly,_ he thinks as he drops his hand down and brushes his fingertips against himself. 

He whimpers at the contact, eyes squeezing back shut in embarrassment over the fact that he’s hard.

Part of him wants to jerk his hand back and away, to fold himself small in his bed and sleep away the twisting feelings he can’t seem to understand. Frustration though, it has him dancing the tips of his fingers over the head of his own cock, barely there butterfly touches that have him tensing where he’s laid down.

A small gasp and he’s not letting himself think harder about this than he should.

Yuchan trails his fingers up the underside of his cock, back arching as he whimpers. The well of precome has his fingers sliding easier and with his eyes closed, he can imagine the warm drag of something else. Byeongkwan’s tongue licking over his fingers sits at the forefront of his thoughts, and Yuchan wonders just how hot his mouth might be. Certainly warmer than his fingers, than the palm of his hands.

He curls his fingers around himself, touch warm, as he moves his fingers up the length of his cock. Hiking up one of his legs, he digs his heel into the bed and uses the leverage to rock up into his own hand. It’s easy to fall into some kind of rhythm, one he doesn’t have to focus on as he thrusts up in counterpoint to moving his hand along himself.

It’s pleasant, familiar, but not what Yuchan wants, not tonight. With a whine, he digs the nails of his free hand in against his skin and scrapes them across his stomach. The pressure is there, the dull scrape of his nails enough to have him going rigid. The slight pain has the fingers around his cock going tight in surprise and he keens far louder than he’d normally be, pressure building quickly in his tummy.

He palms over the head of his dick, as he finally kicks up his other leg, thighs tensing together.

His nails find their way back to his waist, pressing harshly into the scratches he had left as he twists his hand around his cock. The slide is messy and slick, and all he can think about is how it might feel to have someone else's hands on him, to have Byeongkwan digging his sharp nails into his skin and holding him in place. Using him, seeing him.

A gasp and he rocks up fitfully into his hand, fingers tightening hard enough that he whimpers again, trembling atop his blankets. He moves his hand a little quicker, messier. It never takes much, usually rushed at the worry of someone walking in, but tonight it’s ushered on by the idea of being with someone and how it might feel. It makes his chest feel heavy, but it doesn’t stop him from chasing after his own orgasm. 

“Ah, ah,” he gasps out, body going tense as he comes hot over his hand. It’s so much, the way it crashes over him in waves, surprising enough that he rakes his nails over his skin as he twists over onto his side.

He shudders as he pulls his hands off of himself, careful not to touch anything as he trembles through his own orgasm. Panting against the blankets, he turns his face into them and frantically sorts through the thoughts of what he has just done.

* * *

"What if he doesn't approve?" 

"There isn't much we can do if he doesn't, we've already run his patience thin."

Yuchan winces at the way Sungmin and Daehyun hiss at each other, their worry palpable. Neither of them attempts to keep their voices down.

Glancing to the other end of the table, Yuchan looks at the man the council had dragged in this morning. _Sehyoon_ , he's not someone that Yuchan's met while walking the grounds, but that's not entirely surprising. The only people he ever sees are the staff the council keeps employed and the council themselves. Sehyoon's someone they most likely kept off the grounds, close and under watch, but not close enough to stir trouble.

He's not what Yuchan expects. His hair is cut short, shaggy and falling in front of his eyes that he's keeping cast to the floor. His hands rest in his lap, fingers twisted together and Yuchan wonders if it's to keep them from shaking. The hanbok he's wearing is a dark blue, very nearly black, contrasting starkly against Yuchan's own white one. 

Every detail, it's all so purposeful and has his distaste for the whole exchange growing even more.

"Hush, we cannot doubt our choice," Hajoon snaps and the uneasy murmur in the room quiets. If Yuchan hadn't already been watching Sehyoon, he may have missed the way his shoulders went tense at Hajoon's words. It's subtle, his expression remaining unfazed even as his fingers go white with how tight he's holding them.

A part of Yuchan wants to open his mouth, to ask Sehyoon if he's really okay with this, but Hajoon catches his gaze and he knows now is not the place. Too many ears, too many chances for them to take what little he does have away.

The door is thrown open and Yuchan's attention snaps away from Sehyoon and off to the side.

Yuchan wants to glance away when Byeongkwan enters, reminded of just exactly what he had done the night previous. It's made even harder when Byeongkwan's gaze sweeps over the room and lands on him, lips pulling up into an amused smile, before he turns his attention back to Hajoon. Hajoon he greets with a show of his teeth, as if he needs a warning more than the way light blooms under Byeongkwan's skin as he moves. 

"This is your remaining chance," Byeongkwan's voice is firm and Hajoon takes a step back to bow low.

It's Junsuh who is the first to move, where he's standing at Sehyoon's side. He reaches down, hands at Sehyoon's elbow and pulls him up from where he's been sitting. He leads him forward, taking Hajoon's spot, before stepping off to the side and leaving Sehyoon standing there alone under the scrutiny of the dragon.

"No one in the kingdom has more knowledge on your kin than the Kim's. Sehyoon has been studying everything his family has had to offer since he was a child, his mother passing down her knowledge. He’s been living within the city for years, continuing his studies," Junsuh explains and Yuchan freezes. His fingers drag over the top of the table, leaning forward with a need to stand up and stop whatever this was.

 _Years_. It makes him wonder just how long the council has had him picked for this position. If Sehyoon has been living with the weight that they might call on him as an offering for a dragon before Yuchan took his spot under the crown. 

Sungmin makes a noise beside him and Yuchan pulls his hands down into his lap, a small attempt to hide the upset that reality's brought with it.

"Has he now?" Byeongkwan's voice is soft, so gentle compared to how he had so far been speaking to the council. He steps forward and Sehyoon trembles with just how close Byeongkwan gets. There's no way to hide his reaction, especially when Byeongkwan lifts a hand and cradles Sehyoon’s chin in his palm.

He says something else, but Yuchan can’t hear it over the sound of blood rushing in his ears. He drops his gaze to the table, twists his hands into fists in his lap and tries not to show just how frustrated he is about this all. Junsuh’s “You nearly ruined this” from the day previous has him silencing himself, has him feigning as best he can that he’s accepted their decision.

Sungmin stands beside Yuchan and he jerks his gaze back up in time to see everyone else on their feet. There’s a handful of tentative smiles on the council members faces and realization sinks in that Byeongkwan said yes. Yuchan can’t see Sehyoon’s expression, and Byeongkwan’s face gives nothing of how he’s feeling away. He turns on his heels and much like the day before, leaves the hall without another word.

It’s so quiet for a moment, before Junsuh is taking Sehyoon by the arm once again and leading him out of the hall.

“We have a lot to prepare for,” Hajoon states and the room comes to life once again. The table is cleared for papers and talk of plans, and Sungmin doesn’t say a word as Yuchan quietly excuses himself with a murmur of going back to his rooms. No one makes demands that he stay, no need of him despite the fact that their choices affect the entire kingdom.

It makes that small bubble of determination building in his chest grow, with each step he takes in the direction of his rooms. He’d spent the night, sleepless and thinking through the possibilities, but now, having seen the council in action one last time, it solidified what he wanted to do.

He closes his doors behind him, sweeping straight to his desk and pulling down a sheet of parchment and his pen.

It’s there that he pauses, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly. He really only has one chance and he wasn’t going to waste it.

After a moment, he opens his eyes and sets the pen to the sheet.

* * *

It’s just before dusk when Yuchan finally chooses to leave his room. He tucks the parchment he’d been working on into the pockets of his robes and tiptoes to the door on quiet feet. He doesn’t bother reaching to push it open, just listens there until he catches the quiet murmur of voices.

He can’t help the scowl at finding out that they did put guards on his door, probably to keep him from disrupting anything tonight. He’s not surprised, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.

It doesn’t matter though, not when Yuchan knows the palace better than anyone.

Without a second though, he scampers off to the balcony, blowing out the candle on his nightstand as he goes. He cringes, hoping that no one will spot the sheer white of his robes as he crawls up onto the ledge of the balcony and quickly leaps across to the rooms beside his own. Unoccupied rooms for whichever family member chooses to visit, but that’s a faded memory of visits long since passed.

He lands with a small noise, quickly ducking down in the hopes that no one catches sight of him. 

Slipping into the other rooms, he creeps through them and quickly finds his way to the side doors. He doesn’t hesitate to push out of them, just lets the door close behind him before he’s racing down the narrow hall. It’s like being a child again, racing through the servants halls late at night, out of sight of the guards and anyone wandering the main halls at night.

Most of the staff has fled to their own rooms, to their own families, and it leaves Yuchan’s flit down the hallways uninterrupted. He skips around a corner, nearly missing it in the familiar run. His destination tonight is different than the ones he’d race towards during his childhood.

Yuchan slows as he gets nearer to the door he needs to step through, feeling the tiny bit of hesitancy. It’s his last chance to turn back, to let everything play out like it had been decided. He slows, and then he stops, with his hand on the door. He could turn around, pretend like he had never considered throwing the council’s plans into chaos. He could walk away.

Yuchan pushes open the door.

He slips quietly into the room, steam making it hard to see, but he knows every inch of the building better than he knows himself. His steps are sure as he moves forward, listening for the telltale sound of movement. There’s a splash and Yuchan exhales as he glances around the room. His eyes catch on the dark red robes laid out on a bench and he carefully picks them up into his hands. The dark blue silk robes beside them familiar, despite having only seen them once before.

It feels invasive, taking a seat on the bench when he can hear the sound of water moving just in front of him. He keeps his gaze in his lap, fingers gently tracing over the sheer red robes. They’re pretty, a clear sign that the council spared no expense in their efforts to make sure the dragon they were inviting into their court was satisfied. 

They were so lucky he said yes to their trade in the end, that they had dared set out an invite to the dragon who lived in the mountains and had never bothered with them. They’d drawn attention to themselves by inviting him and they were so lucky he had agreed, and yet, here Yuchan was ready to throw that out because it didn’t sit well with him. 

“Your highness?”

Yuchan jerks his gaze up at the stuttered greeting, eyes falling on Sehyoon as he steps out of the bath, a cloth wrapped loosely around his hips. 

Looking away, Yuchan scrambles to reach down for Sehyoon’s discarded robes, holding them out with a shaky hand as he tries not to look in his direction. As soon as they’re being taken, he turns around, giving Sehyoon the space to dry off and change. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your bath, but I had to see you before they took you to the dragon.”

Heat rushes to his face as he listens to the sound of cloth behind him and tries to ignore the way his chest has gone tight. 

There’s a hurried shuffle behind him, before Sehyoon is clearing his throat. "H-how-Ehm... how can I help you?"

Yuchan can’t help the way he trembles, before he turns back around and watches the way Sehyoon immediately bows towards him. His hair is still damp, hanging in his face and Yuchan can’t help the quiet though that he is pretty, that there was no surprise that Byeongkwan said yes to him.

“Please, you—” Yuchan makes a small noise in the back of his throat as he holds up one of his hands. “You don’t need to bow to me. I’m only here to discuss the… the sacrifice tonight.”

Sehyoon stops bowing, but Yuchan can see the nervous way he twists his hands and keeps his gaze dropped. Respect, despite the way nothing Yuchan has done makes him feel like he’s earned it. When Sehyoon finally does speak, his voice comes out quiet. “What do you need to discuss with me about the sacrifice? I’ve already got the robes, is there more?”

“I don’t… I don’t like the thought that you were never given a say in this. That just because of your family name, you were never given a choice. That all you’ve ever been told is that you were meant to be a sacrifice…” Yuchan trails off for a moment, while his fingers twist into the hem of the robe. The words come out quick, but he can’t seem to slow his mouth down. “I can’t ask you to do something for the kingdom that I wouldn’t do first.”

Yuchan pauses for a moment, but before Sehyoon can speak, he finally pushes the words he’s been thinking about out into the open. “I want to request to trade spots with you.”

"Highness, I'm fully prepared. You've no idea what to expect with the beast," Sehyoon responds, voice still so gentle, still so quiet and unsure. "And if the people were to lose you..."

“Lose what? A figure head who hasn’t been allowed to make a decision to help my own people since I was crowned.” Yuchan laughs and he knows it sounds bitter. He cringes, before giving a gentle shrug of his shoulder. It’s something that he’s long since come to terms with, that he’ll always be a figurehead over anything else. “I don’t know what to expect, none of us do, but it could also be a chance to talk to him. Maybe find an ally in overturning things. A small chance, but one I’m willing to take.”

"If... I step back, the council will have both our heads. Especially if he ends up upset. He is expecting me, not you... "

"If he ends up upset, the council is the least of my worries." Yuchan kicks his foot against the ground, sure in what he has to do, what he wants to do. Sehyoon’s worries are valid though and the last thing he wants is for him to pay for Yuchan’s own choices.

"I’ve been playing in these halls since I could run, I know all their secrets. All the doors that lead outside that people have long forgotten. I can guide you out of here safely,” Yuchan murmurs, dropping his gaze to the ground. Sehyoon’s safety was his first priority when he’d started thinking through what he wanted to do. “There’s an inn that keeps a horse ready for me, and my mother’s sister left a country house when she passed, one that only I know about. You’d never have to worry about the council there, because they would never know where you went.”

“With what money I’ve left there, you would never have to worry about much.”

Sehyoon goes quiet and Yuchan can tell he’s thinking through everything that’s been said. It’s a heavy choice and Yuchan doesn’t fault him for thinking it over. There’s uncertainty in both options: what a dragon will do with him, or what happens if Yuchan’s plan doesn’t work out.

So Yuchan waits, barely able to breathe as he waits for Sehyoon’s answer.

"What do you need me to do?"

Yuchan exhales loudly, his shoulders sagging in a mix of relief and fear. There’s no backing out now and that’s as terrifying as it is liberating. He swallows, tongue flicking out over his lips before he can continue, "I just need you to be safe. I don't want you to be hurt because I've decided to take a risk."

Shuffling his hands, he reaches into his robes, pulling free the piece of parchment he had been sketching on all afternoon. “These are maps through the halls and I’ve marked how you can get out. There’s a travel cloak at the exit that should help you pass through the city unnoticed. Everything’s here.”

He knows his voice comes out shaky, unsure. But he tries so hard to not let the fear working its way through him show.

It’s so hard though, especially when Sehyoon reaches out to take the maps, his hand wrapping around Yuchan’s. He holds his hand long enough that Yuchan looks back up at him, long enough that Yuchan wonders if Sehyoon can feel the tremble in them.

Wordlessly, he takes the maps, and Yuchan gestures to the door off to the side. Sehyoon nods, twisting to take off in that direction.

The door closes behind him and Yuchan finds himself staring at it for longer than necessary. His hand feels warm, where Sehyoon had held it and he closes it into a fist up against his chest as he takes time to work through everything. 

With a soft sound, he sets the red robes off to the side and slowly starts working at his own. 

There’s only so much time he has before the guards come in to lead him out and he doesn’t want them to know it’s him.


	2. Chapter 2

The view across the garden might be the one thing that made attending these meetings worth it.

Two days and Byeongkwan is already starting to feel boredom itching under his skin. He knew that attending the meetings would offer very little. Each kingdom that rises and tries to earn a dragon's protection, they never stray far from the same script. If it hadn’t been for the subtle pull that told him to accept the offer, he wouldn’t have agreed in the first place.

Byeongkwan braces his hands against the balcony, leaning forward and taking in the way the full moon doused the garden in pale light. It’s a sight, one that has him itching to jump down and comb through the plants. He tamps down the urge, digs his nails into the balcony and feels his nails carve through the stone.

He’d spent the previous night trailing through the palace, trailing through the corridors and the history that lined the walls in cracks and paintings. They hadn’t bothered with guards and Byeongkwan had been able to explore in peace, weaving his way through the halls.

He’d learned some during his first meeting with the council, but the secrets one could learn at night were the ones that fascinated him more. The trickery of a court was as common as it was dull. Unimaginative in how they wished to earn control.

Byeongkwan knew he was the key to their plots. If they had his favour, few would stand against them, but his favour was not so easily won. For now, he would let them think they had earned it, only to pull it from them to show how meaningless they truly were to him.

At night, he had learned only of the council's future plans were to use the threat of a dragon against their people. At night, he had learned that the staff that roamed the hall at the council’s bidding returned to their rooms and reminded their children to behave. At night, he learned they lived in fear, that one misstep and they would lose everything they had.

At night, he had learned their prince was a caged little bird who made the prettiest noises.

Their prince was a curious creature. He was someone who Byeongkwan had thought was disinterested and uncaring, but the longer that first meeting had run, the more he had come to realize it was far from the case. He’d seen the way Yuchan had felt anger at the mention of a sacrifice, how all it had taken to earn his complete attention was to acknowledge him. From there, it hadn’t been hard to figure him out.

Yuchan and Sehyoon, two people who the council had under their thumbs so completely.

One he could help with, but the other...

Byeongkwan taps his nails against the balcony. For now he would work on the fact they were pushing one of them into his hands.

Come morning, Byeongkwan would make sure that Sehyoon was safe and burn the council to the ground. The folly of men who think a sacrifice not born of choice is worth anything. Any child raised thinking there was honour in sacrifice, it wasn’t something Byeongkwan would stand idly by and accept.

That wasn’t on Sehyoon’s shoulders though, and Byeongkwan would make sure he was safe and cared for. If the human chose to stay, then that would be his choice, but it would be at his own will and not honour for a kingdom.

With the council gone, the prince may stand a chance if he stood his ground, but even then. He’d been under the council’s control for far too long and rot always ran deep.

It was all too much to think about. None of this should have been his business, but their invitation had called to him, had told him he needed to be here and he was too old to ignore those feelings. Whichever way he turned it, it just didn’t work out the way he would be satisfied with. It all made his skin crawl, skin too tight and restrictive.

He shudders, magic pulsing under his skin in a way that almost felt frantic. He’s spent too long in a mortal form, so used to the freedom of his true appearance in the mountains. How much easier it would be to let the thin veneer of his form crack and fall away, but not yet. _Not quite yet._

There’s a tentative knock on the door and with a sigh, Byeongkwan steps back from the balcony and back into his room. He leaves the doors flung wide, the moonlight filtering through and leaving him with some kind of connection to the sky.

"Come in," he lets his voice carry and soon the doors are being pushed open.

There are two figures in the doorway, one of them the attendant that had guided him through the palace grounds the first time and the other a figure dressed all in red. Byeongkwan immediately ignores the attendant, taking in the way the other goes to take a step backwards, before the attendant tugs them further into the room.

The robes they're wearing trail down to their ankles, showing off that they're barefoot as they pad after the attendant and is the only show of skin that Byeongkwan can see. The veil they're wearing on top of their head matches perfectly with the colours of their robe and it's hard to tell where the veil ends and their robes begin.

It's as Byeongkwan's looking at him, taking him in, that he starts to notice the inconsistencies. It's not Sehyoon, that much he can tell.

It’s easy to spot the difference now that he’s looking. Byeongkwan cocks his head as he studies the figure being pulled into the middle of the room from the way footsteps sound from outside of the room, there're guards as well to make sure the sacrifice they’re offering doesn't flee.

“You’re unnecessary,” Byeongkwan snaps at the attendant, and watches as he releases the sacrifice’s wrist. The attendant closes the door behind himself as he flees and Byeongkwan sighs when it leaves him alone with the sacrifice. It takes him only a handful of seconds to notice all the minor details that tell him this is not the same person he had met earlier that day.

They were the tiniest hint taller and the way they were holding themselves without shaking. Sehyoon had been unable to hide his nervousness and excitement when he'd been faced with Byeongkwan for the first time. Whoever they had brought in his stead held firm, unflinching as Byeongkwan took a step forward.

The court had reeked right from the moment he had stepped foot on the grounds. Lies and underhanded decisions. Too many eyes cast to the floor from attendants and a council that spoke in turn for a crown that appeared to have no say. Fear lined the halls and he expected more here, but whoever was in front of him was the first not to show a sign of that.

Byeongkwan steps into the sacrifice’s space, hand reaching up to push aside the veil he’s wearing, exhaling long and slow as he pushes it over the sacrifices shoulders. There is no mistaking who is in front of him with the shroud out of the way and it is surprising. “You’re not who they meant to send.”

The prince stares back at him, determined and unwavering, despite the way Byeongkwan can hear his heart hammering in his chest.

Lifting a hand, Byeongkwan takes Yuchan's chin in his hand, listening to the way he sucks in a sharp breath and his eyes go wide. "Why are you here?"

Yuchan swallows, lips parting as he tries to speak, but all that comes out is a soft noise. Byeongkwan bares his teeth, tightening his grip and this time Yuchan does tremble, but he doesn’t break eye contact. “I wanted to change the offer you had been made, but I couldn’t do that with the council.”

Byeongkwan remained silent, eyes on Yuchan’s face and taking in the way he was starting to realize the true weight of his own decision to come tonight. Yuchan continues quickly, words a mess as he stumbles over them in the haste to get his explanation out. “Sehyoon didn’t… he didn’t have a choice, not really. That’s not fair, it was never fair. None of them would have offered themselves in his place. I couldn’t ask him to do something I wouldn’t do first.”

“I don’t want the council to use you to hurt my people, I don’t want them to have that power. I wanted to negotiate that you might protect them, even from their own council. I’ll trade anything you ask for.” There’s no trick to the words, no lie. Just a boy desperate to make up for something.

“A pretty explanation,” Byeongkwan murmurs and watches as Yuchan flinches at the words. An expectation that he’s failed.

It’s far from the reality of the situation though. If anything, Yuchan upending the council’s plans has given him the opening he needs to make sure everything ends up in a place where it can prosper. First though, he would like the prince standing in front of him to him his real reason for all of this. Everything he’s said up until now has been true, but there is more, and Byeongkwan would like him to admit it before he tells him he’s decided to accept his offer.

Byeongkwan shifts his grip from Yuchan’s jaw, moving his fingers to loosely wrap around his throat, his claws pricking at his skin. “Why are you here?”

The question has Yuchan giving a tiny little whine, hands reaching up to wrap around Byeongkwan’s wrist. His grip is barely there and he sags in Byeongkwan’s grip, before he finds his legs again. He closes his eyes, making another soft noise in the back of his throat as he tries to gather his words.

Byeongkwan knows his answer, and has known it since the moment he realized it had been the prince who had come to him instead of the original sacrifice. So he holds still and he waits for him to admit it in his own words. It doesn’t take long, all he does is drag his claws against his skin and Yuchan breaks.

“I came for you.”

“All you had to do was say so,” Byeongkwan drops his voice to a low purr as he steps even closer into Yuchan’s space. He guides him back, until he can press him back against the door, hand still on his throat and face oh so close. “I accept your offer. You for your people’s safety. Would you like to know what that entails?”

Yuchan gives a shaky nod of his head, hands dropping away from Byeongkwan’s wrist and falling back against the wall to hold himself up. “Please.”

“There are choices,” Byeongkwan starts, finally lowering his hand from Yuchan’s throat. “I can accept your life as a true sacrifice, which is never my preference, but honour dictates what some want. We can simply form a pact that I will assist you and when the time comes for me to ask you of a favour, you are bound to return it.”

A pause, while he lets the options sink in, before Byeongkwan continues, holding out the last one. It’s one that he considers not even making for a moment, but the prince in front of him is beautiful and something within him tells him it’s the right bargain to make. “Or, I can claim you as my own much like a king might a consort. The choice is in your hands, princling.”

Yuchan goes quiet, the realization that Byeongkwan won’t make a move without him first asking settling in quickly. He swallows, dropping his gaze down to the floor between him, legs still shaking. There is fear there, but Byeongkwan can feel his want thick in the air, his own confusion and nerves.

He looks up though and Byeongkwan can respect the bravery this boy has, even if his voice is quiet when he speaks. “I don’t want to be a sacrifice or make a simple pact.”

“You were so bold in trading spots with Sehyoon, and yet you can’t ask for what you want now.”

“I’ve never,” Yuchan starts, his face flushing to match the robes he’s dressed in. “I’ve never,” the noise he makes when he repeats the words is embarrassed and leaves no room for guessing at what he was trying to say.

Byeongkwan cocks his head, bracing his hands against the wall on either side of Yuchan as he leans in. He keeps his hands off of him, despite the way he can hear Yuchan inhale sharply when he presses in closer and how his pupils blow wide. So obvious in his wants, but Byeongkwan won’t touch him until he asks. “Little prince, your first time and you come to a dragon? Is that really what you want?”

Another nod of Yuchan’s head and Byeongkwan smiles. “You need to tell me.”

“I want you to touch me please,” it’s the most delicate way of saying it, but it’s enough for Byeongkwan who can see the way Yuchan is starting to squirm in embarrassment.

“You only had to ask,” Byeongkwan reaches down, gripping at Yuchan’s thighs and hiking him up.

Yuchan’s arms flail out when his feet are lifted up from the ground, quickly reaching out to loop them around Byeongkwan’s neck as he wraps his legs around Byeongkwan’s waist. He gasps loudly in Byeongkwan’s ear, clinging to him as Byeongkwan pulls him away from the wall and walks them back to the bed.

None too gently, Byeongkwan drops Yuchan down onto the bed. He goes easily, limbs unwinding and falling back with a sharp yelp. His robes splay out across the bed, loose and leaving nothing to the imagination with how sheer they are. He’s beautiful with the moonlight filtering in from the balcony, cheeks pink and eyes wide.

He scrambles up to sit quickly, and Byeongkwan leans down to meet him, hands falling on either side of Yuchan’s hips as he moves into his space. So close, he doesn’t miss the way Yuchan’s eyes drop down to his lips, before jerking them back up to meet Byeongkwan’s gaze.

“You can ask,” Byeongkwan purrs, lips curling up into a smile.

Yuchan’s hands reach up, stopping just before they can cup Byeongkwan’s face between them, still hesitating. “Can you kiss me?”

Taking Yuchan’s hands in his own, Byeongkwan presses them to his skin, and it’s worth it for the way something like wonder spreads across Yuchan’s face. He can see the pulses of red in Yuchan’s eyes, the way they light up under his hands and he gives a little gasp. Byeongkwan knows the spark of magic roiling just under the surface makes him run hotter, how touching them can make your skin spark with the sheer force of it and seeing Yuchan experience that for the first time is magnetic.

He doesn’t give him time to admire it though. Instead, Byeongkwan presses past the last bit of space between them and kisses him. He’s careful of his teeth, gently pulling Yuchan’s bottom lip between his own to lave his tongue across it and swallow the noise that tries to escape Yuchan as Byeongkwan pushes him back onto the bed. He crawls over him, not once breaking away, not when he can flick his tongue out and trace it along the line of Yuchan’s teeth.

Yuchan shivers at the touch and easily accepts the way Byeongkwan cups his chin in his hand to tilt his head to make the slide of their lips easier. He’s passive, letting Byeongkwan kiss him long and deep, his hands still holding Byeongkwan’s face between them. It’s not a passivity born of fear, because Byeongkwan can practically smell the nerves washing over him and feel the tremble of his hands.

So he kisses him until Yuchan is left panting for breath and the shaking has stopped. He kisses him until Yuchan starts to squirm up underneath him and Byeongkwan can feel the subtle way he rocks up against him, already hard under his robes.

“We can stop any time,” Byeongkwan whispers, kissing the corner of Yuchan’s mouth, his cheek, and the underside of his jaw. “Roll over for me, darling.”

The order is soft, one that Yuchan can easily say no to, but instead, he scrambles underneath Byeongkwan to roll over onto his belly. His hair is a mess and Byeongkwan hums as he works his fingers into it to pull the ribbon holding it tied together loose. He leans forward, pressing another kiss to Yuchan’s cheek, before sitting back on his heels, legs braced on either side of Yuchan’s thighs. “You’re beautiful.”

The praise has Yuchan flushing, and for a moment, Byeongkwan thinks it’s a shame that he probably hasn’t heard the compliment often. He shakes it off though, focusing on the now, rather than the anger that could bubble up at how neglected Yuchan probably was.

Byeongkwan’s hands guide Yuchan’s hips up, pushing his robes up until they’re sliding over his hips and falling down his back. The material bunches up around his shoulder blades, splaying out across the bed on either side of him. Yuchan twists his face into the sheets below him, a small little noise escaping him that Byeongkwan suspects is from just how on display he feels.

A kiss to the dip of his spine as he runs his hands up the curve of Yuchan’s thighs has the boy shivering, hands fisting into the sheets up beside his head. Another kiss to his hip and Byeongkwan trails one of his hands along the inside of his thigh, up until he can brush the pads of his fingers over the head of his pretty cock.

He’s rewarded with a sharp gasp, Yuchan’s hips jerking forward to chase the touch. So sensitive and reactive.

Shifting back, Byeongkwan leans forward to bite at the back of his thigh, teeth catching against his soft skin with no warning. He matches it by pressing his hand upwards, palm cupping at Yuchan’s cock and keeping him steady as he laves his tongue over the marks his teeth had made. The breathy noises Yuchan makes as his legs tremble is enough to spur Byeongkwan on, to have him mouthing another mark into his skin a little higher up.

He presses his hand up a little harder, just to hear the stuttered whine Yuchan makes at the pressure. It keeps him from dropping his hips down, from shifting too much while Byeongkwan works his way up the back of his legs with sharp little nips and bites.

When he reaches the point where the curve of his ass meets his thigh, Byeongkwan removes his hand, instead sliding his arm across the length of his hips. His hand is a mess of precome, and the back of Yuchan’s thighs are already blooming pretty shades of red and shiny with spit.

“I’m going to work you open now, if it’s too much, all you have to do is say stop. Can you do that for me, darling?”

It takes Yuchan a few moments to catch his breath, before he can answer. It has Byeongkwan wondering just how much he can put this boy through in one night, especially if no one has ever touched him like this before. “Mhm, I can.”

As soon as he has a vocal response, Byeongkwan hikes Yuchan up higher with the arm he has braced across his hips, pulling him up until his knees are off of the bed and all his weight is shifting forward to where his chest is pressed down into the bed. He gasps, hands sliding out to press against the headboard to keep himself from sliding, but Byeongkwan’s grip is sure and unwavering.

With his free hand, he gently pushes Yuchan’s cheeks apart, listening for anything that might be Yuchan wanting this to stop.

He brushes one finger over his hole, just to see the way Yuchan gives a full body tremble, fingers curling into fists against the headboard. He heaves out a breath so hard that Byeongkwan can see his shoulders move with the motion under the mass of fabric pooling there.

“Please,” it comes out so quiet, but Byeongkwan is listening so carefully, that he doesn’t miss it.

Byeongkwan smiles, leaning forward to once again press a kiss to his skin, before breathing hot over where his fingers are pressed.

The first flick of his tongue has Yuchan whining high in his throat, a full body shudder running through him. His legs jerk, and if it weren’t for how high Byeongkwan had his hips hiked up and how he was digging his toes into the bed to keep himself braced, Byeongkwan suspects Yuchan might have kicked him. Instead, he keens high and loud, and his response has Byeongkwan licking firmer, deeper, fingers spreading his cheeks so that he can press in.

It’s a mess, with spit everywhere as Byeongkwan presses his tongue in, insistent. The muscles give way and Byeongkwan gives a low growl as he fucks his tongue into Yuchan, taking advantage of the fact he can curl it and twist it as deep as he pleases. It’s satisfying, the way Yuchan’s body opens for him as he works his tongue into him, and how Yuchan keeps making noises that shoot right down Byeongkwan’s spine.

It doesn’t take long for Yuchan’s moans and gasps to turn into half-sobs as he squirms in Byeongkwan’s grip. He mewls, face turning to the side so he can pant open mouthed, his cheeks flushed pink and eyes squeezed shut. He’s pretty like this, with his makeup smudged, sweat beading at his forehead, his hair a mess around him and his lips so so red.

With a filthy twist of his tongue, Yuchan wails, body going tense in Byeongkwan’s grip. From here, he can see the telltale shine of tears starting to bead on Yuchan’s lashes, but still, he doesn’t ask for Byeongkwan to stop.

Pulling his hand away, Byeongkwan searches around the mess of sheets for the small bottle of oil. He quickly works it open with one hand, fingers dipping into it, even as he continues to fuck his tongue into Yuchan. As soon as he has them coated, he brings them back up and gently slides one of them in alongside his tongue. He works it down to the first knuckle, just to see how Yuchan reacts. He whimpers, but twists back against Byeongkwan as best he can, already seeking more.

The slide of his finger is easy, with how loose Yuchan is from Byeongkwan working his tongue into him. The stretch is easy and Yuchan gasps out a quick, “more please.” that ushers Byeongkwan on.

Twisting his finger, Byeongkwan drags it free, before pushing it back in, the drag odd against his tongue, but worth it for the way Yuchan’s voice raises in pitch. He’s so incredibly warm around him and Byeongkwan gives a purr of satisfaction at the way Yuchan takes him so well. It earns him a full body tremble from the boy he has pinned, one that he answers by fucking his finger back into him and settling into a steady rhythm.

After a handful of thrusts, he prods the tip of another finger against him, sinking it in alongside the first. The stretch is more apparent this time, but the oil slicks the way, making the slide smooth as he presses two fingers deep. Yuchan makes a small squeak of noise when they settle deep, and this time, Byeongkwan gives him a moment to adjust. He waits for Yuchan to give a tentative shift of his hips, his head turning to try and get a look behind him.

As soon as he finds Byeongkwan watching him in return though, he whines, burying his face back into the sheets.

Pulling his tongue free, Byeongkwan crooks his fingers, using tiny little movements to rock them into Yuchan. Pulling back, he can see the way his fingers look, pressing into Yuchan. How each time he pulls them free, Yuchan’s hole flutters around them, before he can sink them back in deep.

It doesn’t take long to work up to three. He waits for Yuchan’s voice asking for more and he gives it to him with ease. He curls them to drag along his inner walls, pressing into spots that have Yuchan’s voice dying off into something noiseless as his entire body goes rigid.

Byeongkwan could get him to come like this, knows it from how he presses a thigh between Yuchan’s legs and can feel his cock leaking down onto him. Wet and messy. But coming on his fingers is not how Byeongkwan wants Yuchan’s first orgasm with someone to be from. A selfish part of him craves the idea of knowing he was the first to pull something like this from Yuchan that wasn’t by his own hand and that part wants to have him do it on his cock.

So he curles his fingers, scissoring them open so that he can stretch Yuchan that little bit more.

Fucking his fingers into Yuchan, slower than before, Byeongkwan carefully lowers him back down until his knees are back on the bed. He doesn’t remove his grip though, not when he can feel just how badly Yuchan’s legs are shaking and how he suspects he wouldn’t even be able to hold himself up.

“Yuchan,” the use of his name has Yuchan moaning, but he responds quickly, looking back to Byeongkwan. So well behaved. It makes Byeongkwan wonder how far he could push him until he stubbornly takes what he wants instead of waiting to see what Byeongkwan will give him. Not now though, not when this is all so new to him. “Do you still want this?”

“Yes, please, please, I want it,” this time there’s no pause. This time, Yuchan’s voice breaks on a whimper as Byeongkwan continues the slow rock of his hand.

Dragons are selfish, Byeongkwan knows this well. It’s his very nature to take the things he wants. His own hoard hidden away in the mountains can attest to that. It’s the thought he has as he pulls his fingers free and once again searches for the jar of oil. Dragons are selfish and possessive, and Yuchan offering himself so easily to him had all of those instincts in Byeongkwan rearing their head.

Pushing his robes out of the way, Byeongkwan wraps his fingers around both of his cocks, before he slicks himself up and settles in behind Yuchan. He curls over him, pressing his forehead to the curve of Yuchan’s spine and waits there a moment. Yuchan makes a noise of confusion, one that Byeongkwan answers with a soft hum of noise as noses at the skin of Yuchan’s back.

He switches out the arm he has holding his hips up, just so that he can drag his clean hand over the trembling muscles of Yuchan’s stomach and up to his chest. He splays his hand wide over his sternum, feeling Yuchan’s heart thundering under his hand. Humans, they’re so fragile and Byeongkwan’s never accepted ones offering in the past and yet here he is. It has him laughing, even as he nudges Yuchan’s legs further apart to settle in closer to him.

Slow slow slow. He so carefully nudges his cock against Yuchan’s entrance, eyes closed as he listens for anything that tells him this is too much for Yuchan. One of Yuchan’s hands lets go of the blankets, reaching back to grab at the arm Byeongkwan has against his hips. It’s not demanding or forceful, it’s a barely there grasp that Byeongkwan can assume is for grounding more than anything.

“Byeongkwan, please,” Yuchan says on a hiccup, voice catching in his throat.

It’s enough. It has Byeongkwan pressing forward, pushing in slowly. Yuchan starts moaning, as Byeongkwan pulls his hips back to pull himself inside. Yuchan goes rigid, chest heaving as he sucks in a sharp breath, only to release it on a loud moan. His hand remains around Byeongkwan’s arm, fingers tightening rhythmically, before he sinks forward against the bed when Byeongkwan settles into him fully.

The slide is easy with the time he had spent stretching him open and the oil, and Byeongkwan can feel Yuchan’s cock jerk against him.

“ ‘m so full,” Yuchan whimpers, hand finally sliding off of Byeongkwan’s arm to press down against his own stomach. Tentatively, he shifts his hips and the noise he makes is guttural. It’s rewarding that Byeongkwan’s only had to slide into him and that’s enough to have him so reactive.

Byeongkwan nips at the skin along Yuchan’s back, teeth scraping, before he rocks back, dragging one of his cocks free and the other dragging along Yuchan’s perineum. He pulls back until his cock is almost pulled free and he can hear Yuchan gasping out a quick “no no no”, before he rolls his hips forward again.

The moan of noise Yuchan makes rumbles up from his chest, and Byeongkwan can feel it under his hand as he holds him in place. He squeezes around Byeongkwan’s cock as he settles in deep, the other sliding against his skin and bumping up against the underside of Yuchan’s own. Another slow drag back and Yuchan’s hands press against the headboard, pushing back and chasing the feeling as Byeongkwan leaves him empty for a moment.

He gives another babble, something muffled by the sheets he’s pressing his face into and Byeongkwan doesn’t make him wait. He fucks back into him, motions swifter and firmer, and makes a pleased purr at the way Yuchan wails loudly.

He left no doubt to anyone who might be passing the halls of what was happening within their guests rooms, and Byeongkwan would readily admit that it brought him some form of joy that there was no doubt that he was his.

He drives back into Yuchan, rocking them down against the bed, and burying himself deep. It’s satisfying, even as his other cock is a barely there contact that has him almost wanting. It’s a teasing touch for Yuchan, and Byeongkwan settles with the fact that he must be wishing for a firmer kind of contact. He drags his hand back down Yuchan’s chest and stomach, his nails catching against his skin. At the same time, he digs his teeth in a little harder to the wing of Yuchan’s shoulder, enough to leave a mark, before finally sitting back up.

Byeongkwan curls his hand into Yuchan’s hair, winding it carefully around it until he has a decent fistfull. He continues the steady rock of his hips, even as he tightens his hold on Yuchan’s hair and gives a gentle tug, testing.

“Hnng,” Yuchan gargles at the tug, head jerking back to follow the movement as he frantically tries to rock his hips back against Byeongkwan. “Again, oh, please, again.”

“Anything you wish.”

It’s not a large task to thrust forward sharply, pushing Yuchan up the bed, as he tugs him back by his hair. This time he pulls harder, enough that Yuchan scrabbles to push himself up to his hands and up, back arching to accommodate. The change in angle has him gasping, knees sliding further apart as he struggles to brace himself.

Byeongkwan holds him at the angle, fucks into him as hard as he can, shifting himself until he can get it just right. He presses forward, and Yuchan squeals, giving one attempt to curl forward that Byeongkwan thwarts with his grip in his hair.

“Hold yourself up for me, darling.”

Yuchan catches himself, nodding his head, even as it pulls at his hair. His whole body shakes as Byeongkwan continues to thrust forward, keeping the exact angle he wants now that he knows what it is. He tries so hard, but Byeongkwan can see how he’s struggling to hold himself up, but still he tries.

“You’re doing so well,” he praises and decides to reward him for it.

He lets go of Yuchan’s hair, letting him fall back forward with a gasp of noise. He collapses into a pretty mess in front of him, mewling sweetly every time Byeongkwan fucks back into him.

“Ah, ahhh,” the little whine of noise that breaks from his throat as his body goes tense is enough warning for Byeongkwan, who wraps his hand around his own and Yuchan’s cock, to stroke them in time with his thrusts. The grip he has on them has Yuchan wailing, body going tense as he nears his own orgasm. His hips stutter, unsure if he wants to rock back against Byeongkwan’s cock, or forward into the tight grip of his hand.

It’s all too much, and Byeongkwan gasps at the way he goes tight around him in an instant.

Yuchan’s back bows and his fingers drag against the headboard, nails scratching against the wood. He comes on a wordless moan, going so tense, even as Byeongkwan continues to fuck into him. He doesn’t slow his pace, even as Yuchan clenches so tight around him.

He gives another sob and Byeongkwan lets go of their cocks to get both hands around his hips and dig his claws in. Rutting down into him, Byeongkwan groans as he comes, bending back over Yuchan and bearing him down into the bed. He’s hot around him and Byeongkwan huffs as Yuchan squirms underneath him, dropping all of his weight down to keep him still.

He unclenches his hands from Yuchan’s hips, reaching up to pull his arms back down from the headboard. He slides his hands over the back of Yuchan’s, twining his fingers between his and covering him as much as he can. A soft noise and Byeongkwan nudges his nose against the curve of Yuchan’s jaw, before mouthing against the exposed side of his neck.

Yuchan trembles underneath him, attempting to catch his breath as Byeongkwan sucks marks into his skin. He kicks out a leg when Byeongkwan shifts, pulling at his cock where he’s still seated in him, but otherwise he relaxes against the bed. He lifts one of his hands up to his face, dragging Byeongkwan’s with him, just so he can press a messy open mouthed kiss to the back of Byeongkwan’s hand and then bury his face against it.

“I’m going to move,” Byeongkwan murmurs after a moment, when he can no longer hear the thundering of Yuchan’s heart and he’s settled the urge to leave as many marks as he can across Yuchan’s skin.

A gentle nod, and Byeongkwan unwinds their hands and heaves himself up. Predictably, Yuchan whines, voice hoarse as Byeongkwan pulls his cock free. He squeezes his eyes shut, attempting to roll onto his side and curl himself up tight, but Byeongkwan’s hands are on him in a moment, pulling him up to sit.

“I’m going to clean you and then you can sleep.”

Yuchan takes in a slow breath, blinking his eyes open to look at Byeongkwan, body sagging in his hands. “Can I stay?”

The question comes as a surprise, but Byeongkwan smiles, leaning forward to press his forehead to Yuchan’s. “As long as you want to stay, you are welcome.”

Yuchan makes a pleased little hum of noise, eyes falling back shut and fingers reaching up to twist into Byeongkwan’s own robes. Pulling Yuchan into his lap, Byeongkwan reaches for the washing basin the attendants had left in his room while he stayed. He drops a cloth from the nightstand into it, before squeezing the water out of it as best he can with one hand. The other he keeps braced against Yuchan’s waist, holding him in place so that he doesn’t fall asleep on him quite yet.

“Almost there, little one,” Byeongkwan laughs as he drapes the cloth over his thigh and reaches for the container of oil. He does up the top, setting it off to the side so that he can focus on cleaning up the boy in his lap.

Byeongkwan pushes Yuchan’s robes off of his shoulders, throwing it off the side of the bed without a care. It gives him the space he needs to run the damp cloth over Yuchan’s skin, wiping away all of the mess. He starts with his face, cleaning off the powders his attendants had put him in earlier, leaving his face bare. It makes him look softer with it gone, and Byeongkwan knows that there would be very little he wouldn’t do to protect this boy, not now.

Cleaning up the mess of his thighs is more of a task, because Yuchan whines as the cloth sweeps over his cock, legs kicking out weakly. Byeongkwan hushes him with a kiss, his free hand working past his hair to cup around the back of his neck. “Hush, I’m almost done.”

Yuchan responds with a pout, but he quiets as Byeongkwan continues to clean him. He lolls in his lap, eyes fluttering closed in his own exhaustion, but Byeongkwan holds him firm until he’s done, throwing the cloth back over into the bowl and finally letting Yuchan sag against him.

He lays him down, curling around Yuchan’s back and winding his arms around his waist. He snorts at his own sentimentality, but Yuchan smiles and it’s worth it. There will be time later to study his own immediate connection to the prince already falling asleep in his arms, but for now, Byeongkwan closes his eyes and lets sleep drag him under.

* * *

When morning arrives, Byeongkwan very nearly stays in bed. Yuchan’s still curled neatly into his side, his hands curled into fists under his chin and snoring softly. He barely stirs as Byeongkwan brushes his hair back, which makes it a simple decision to tuck him back under the blankets and climb out from their nest.

There’s the sound of footsteps in the halls, voices raised in panic, and Byeongkwan’s curiosity is enough to lure him to the door. He reaches for his robe as he passes the end of the bed, shrugging it on as he pads across the room.

A guard races past just as Byeongkwan leans out, throwing open the door to the room next to Byeongkwan’s, before moving on to the next. There’s a council member trailing behind him, one that Byeongkwan recalls as having headed the talks during their first meeting. He jerked back when he noticed Byeongkwan, eyes frantic as he quickly bowed.

“Is something wrong?”

The question is for nothing more than cruel amusement, but Byeongkwan can’t help himself. It’s easy to guess that they were looking for their missing prince, the very same prince who is so peacefully sleeping in Byeongkwan’s bed.

“No, nothing is wrong. We’re sorry for disturbing you.” The council member bows again, before trailing after the guard on swift feet and Byeongkwan barely contains his own laughter as he falls back into his room and closes the door. As fun as it would be to watch them run around frantically, there are far more interesting things within his room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulls back the blankets and admires the marks crawling up Yuchan’s back. With a soft hum, Byeongkwan gets his hand on his hip and carefully pulls him over onto his back. A soft whine, but otherwise Yuchan remains sleeping, worn right into exhaustion.

“Time to wake up, little one,” Byeongkwan leans forward, pressing a kiss to the curve of Yuchan’s shoulder as he works his hand down between his legs.

He slides two of his fingers into Yuchan with ease, still worked open from their evening together. Slowly he works them in, eyes on the way Yuchan’s face scrunches up and he gives huff, but doesn’t quite pull from his sleep. Dragging his fingers free, Byeongkwan rocks them back into Yuchan a little faster, curling them as soon as he has them settled. It’s a barely there graze of his fingertips, before he’s rocking them back out and then back in.

A whine is all the warning he gets before Yuchan is arching up off the bed, thighs clenching tight around Byeongkwan’s hand. His hands twist into the sheets below him as his face screws up when Byeongkwan ignores the grip of his thighs to settle into a rhythm with his fingers.

“Ah, there he is, the prince everyone is desperately searching for, warming my bed and my fingers.”

The keen of noise that Yuchan makes is loud as he rocks his hips down against Byeongkwan’s hand, eyes finally blinking open and searching for him. As soon as he has his attention, Byeongkwan reaches up with his free hand, cupping Yuchan’s cheek and traces his thumb over his cheekbone.

“Your foolish council is frantic, and yet here you are.” Yuchan’s hands tug at the sheets as Byeongkwan works the rocking of his hand into a steady rhythm. He fucks his fingers into Yuchan quickly, curling them each time he presses them deep and dragging the pads of his fingers against his inner walls just to see how loud he can get him. “If they only knew the person making so much noise in their guests room was the one they were looking for.”

Yuchan’s eyes are glassy, still dazed from being woken and helplessly seeking his own orgasm on Byeongkwan’s fingers. Byeongkwan smiles and is pleased at the way Yuchan’s gaze remains on his face.

“Too bad you’re no longer theirs to control,” Byeongkwan hums as he works a third finger in beside the others. He keeps his pace steady, doesn’t give Yuchan a break despite the way he is starting to twist against the bed. He doesn’t reach down to touch himself though and a part of Byeongkwan warms at the way he’s behaving so sweetly for him.

“Come for me, darling boy,” Byeongkwan orders and Yuchan mewls. He comes messily over his own stomach, back arching and legs clenching so tight around Byeongkwan’s wrist that he can no longer move his hand. Instead, he curls and uncurls his fingers, lets Yuchan ride through his orgasm, before carefully pulling his fingers free and leaning down to kiss the corner of his mouth as he gasps for breath. “There you are, so perfect for me.”

Byeongkwan gets off the bed to search for the bowl of water and cloth the attendants had left him to wash up with. The waters long since chilled, but it’s far better than letting the come spattered across Yuchan’s stomach dry there.

Sitting back down on the bed, Byeongkwan carefully begins wiping him down, giving Yuchan the time to wake up fully and settle back into his own skin. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Yuchan croaks, voice thready as he finally sits up. Byeongkwan has enough time to set the bowl and cloth back off to the side, before Yuchan is lolling forward and against him.

“Mmm, you will be for a few days,” Byeongkwan wraps his hand around one of Yuchan’s legs, tugging him in closer so that he can get his hands on him and check him over in the daylight. “Anything in too much pain?”

“No, it’s a nice sore.”

That has Byeongkwan snorting, as he pushes Yuchan’s hair back behind his ear and catches sight of the smile on his face. “No regrets then?”

“No, no regrets.”

Byeongkwan leans forward to kiss the crown of his head, which earns him a bright peal of laughter. It’s warm and unrestrained, an acceptance of everything this is. A part of Byeongkwan hates that he has to shatter the peace of this moment, but they only have so long before it will be shattered for them.

“Little prince, what do you plan to do now?”

“Face the council,” Yuchan’s voice is quiet, and Byeongkwan catches the slight tremble in his hands.

“You did offer yourself up as a sacrifice, the council has no say in if I choose to accept and take you away.”

He knows Yuchan catches the offer for what it is, can see him working through wanting to take it. He swallows, tongue flicking out across his lips before he finally gives Byeongkwan an answer. “I can’t run away, as much as I would like to. I have to stay. I can’t leave them in charge any longer.”

“Mmm, you’re more scared of them than you are of me,” Byeongkwan acknowledges him, hands reaching up to cup Yuchan’s face between them. He tilts his head up, makes sure Yuchan is meeting his gaze. “Then I will stay.”

“I took your offering and not theirs, and they will know it.” It’s easy to slip his fingers back into Yuchan’s hair, to let his nails lengthen and sharpen. He slides them through Yuchan’s hair and the quiet gasp that leaves him when he feels Byeongkwan’s nails tug at his hair is loud in the room. He cuts through the length with ease and the entire time, Yuchan’s eyes remain rapt on his face, lips parting when he realizes what Byeongkwan is doing, but doesn’t look hurt by the choice.

“Let them know what their own arrogance caused,” Byeongkwan murmurs as he watches Yuchan’s hair fall to the bed. He works slowly, Yuchan’s hands twist into the front of his shirt and he makes soft noises when Byeongkwan pauses to check on him.

A strand of hair slips over his shoulder, falling into Yuchan’s lap. His eyes drop down to it and Byeongkwan hesitates, wonders if some sort of panic is about to set in. Instead, Yuchan laughs. It’s bright and loud, and the first time Byeongkwan’s heard him sound happy. His shoulders shake as he slaps his hands up over his mouth, face scrunching up as he tries to stifle his own giggles.

“Do you need me to stop?”

Yuchan pitches forward, burying his face against Byeongkwan’s shoulder and shakes his head. Still, Byeongkwan waits, fingers leaving the remaining length that he still hasn’t cut through and trailing his fingertips over the bare line of Yuchan’s back. He waits until Yuchan’s laughter has died down into something softer, until he’s sagging against him. “The council will think I’ve gone mad.”

“Maybe you have,” Byeongkwan smiles, fingers dancing sparks up Yuchan’s back.

“Maybe I have,” he agrees, pulling back after leaving a kiss on Byeongkwan’s shoulder. He’s smiling and it’s a startling difference from the boy who had been staring out the window two days ago. “They’re going to hate all of this.”

“Let them, you’re their prince and they can do nothing to stop you.”

The words are pointed and Byeongkwan can see the moment Yuchan realizes that he’s right. His smile stutters for a moment, before it’s softening into something warmer, but no less bright. He carefully unfolds himself from the bed, turning around before sitting with his back to Byeongkwan, “Will you please finish?”

“Of course,” Byeongkwan lifts his hand again, carefully working his fingers through the remains of Yuchan’s hair. There’s still a lot and he carefully starts cutting through the soft strands with his nails. Yuchan remains still while he works, occasionally trembling when hair brushes against his naked sides, but otherwise letting Byeongkwan work in peace.

It’s dramatic, watching the way his hair falls away. It had reached his waist with ease, and now it was as short as Byeongkwan’s own hair.

“Turn around for me.”

Yuchan listens to the order quickly, getting up on his knees so that he can twist back around to face Byeongkwan, his hair falling into his face and hanging just above his eyes. He’s still smiling though and it has Byeongkwan reaching up to cup the back of his neck and drag him forward.

Yuchan goes easily with the pull, pushing forward into Byeongkwan’s lap and quickly melting into the way Byeongkwan kisses him.

“Let’s show your council the mistakes they’ve made in ignoring you, shall we?”

Nodding, Yuchan leans in to steal one last kiss, before slipping out of Byeongkwan’s lap and off of the bed. He leaves the mess of his hair on the sheets, as he wanders off to the mirror hung from the wall. He hums as he gets closer, hands finding their way up into his hair, where he tugs at the ends.

“I like it,” he announces after a few moments of silence.

Byeongkwan doesn’t bother answering, but from the way Yuchan’s face lights up in the mirror, he doesn’t miss the smile making its way onto Byeongkwan’s face.

He makes a sight, standing there in the morning light with his newly shorn hair. His skin is littered with bruises, scratches and the unmistakable marks Byeongkwan’s teeth had made. There would be no hiding the ones crawling up his throat, but the rest they would bury underneath his robes and they would be for Byeongkwan only.

“Shall I lend you my spare hanbok little one?”

Yuchan turns away from the mirror, looking at Byeongkwan with big eyes and a blush spreading down the line of his throat and to his chest. It makes Byeongkwan wonder if his council had ever known the gem they truly had in their court, in this brave boy who’s imagination and determination was far greater than most people Byeongkwan had met in his lifetime.

“I think I would like to make more of a statement,” Yuchan inclines his head, glancing down to where the rich red robes he had arrived in the night previous were strewn across the floor. Unmistakably the sacrifices robes and ones no one would be able to ignore.

Byeongkwan unfolds himself from the bed, reaching down for the robes and shakes them out. There’s no rips or tears in them, and they’re relatively clean. They’ll do for now. “Come then, let me dress you for your audience.”

Yuchan stumbles back to his side, and Byeongkwan holds out the robes for him to slip into, already planning what pieces of jewelry to dress him in.

* * *

Humans, they’re so incredibly delicate.

It’s something Byeongkwan knows well and one of the many reasons he normally refuses to take part in their games. They rise and they fall, and time sweeps them off into nothing but memories. He’s long since lost amusements in slipping into their midst and playing games, and yet, here he is, walking alongside one.

Yuchan’s hand curls tight around his own as they walk, the only show that he’s afraid. He walks with his shoulders set and his gaze forward, his footsteps sure and his hand shaking where he’s clinging to Byeongkwan’s.

Brave, despite his own fears.

They reach the door to the hall Byeongkwan’s been invited into twice to discuss their offerings, and they pause. It’s up to Yuchan to push open the door and Byeongkwan will wait with him as long as it takes.

He could shake off Yuchan’s hand, leave him to face his choices alone, but something keeps him standing beside him. He’s been alive too long to put it off to his own boredom, not when there had been a draw to accept the council’s offer in the first place, and then a draw to stay. This was where he was meant to find himself, and he would not ignore fate and her whims.

An attendant makes a noise at the end of the hall, surprise, but Byeongkwan only lets his gaze fall to Yuchan. His fingers tighten for a moment, before he lets go of Byeongkwan’s hand and reaches up. He pushes open the door and steps into the room, showing no sign of his own worries or fear.

He steps barefoot into the room, walking across to the head of the table and his rightful seat, and sits.

The way the council immediately breaks into whispered confusion is almost enough to have Byeongkwan laughing. His wrists are heavy with the gold bangles Byeongkwan had slipped over his hands and the smokey red powder Byeongkwan had dusted over his eyes makes him look dangerous. Even with his long hair cut, there would be no mistaking him as their prince. Their prince, who was clearly bearing marks that ran up the line of his throat,

It was all meaningless though, at least in comparison. As he walked, his robes danced about him, exposing the lines of his legs through the sheer material; the heavy white robes of his station traded in for the gauzy reds.

They always talked about the honour of being a sacrifice, but Byeongkwan knew the name that was far more clearly tied to the robes Yuchan had entered his own court in.

 _The dragon’s whore_ , it has Byeongkwan smiling as he finally follows after Yuchan.

The council goes quiet as the doors fall closed behind him, but Byeongkwan pays them no mind. He carefully makes his way through the room, loosens his hold on his own magic just enough that he can feel it crackling across his skin. He wants to let it explode, to shed through the mortal form he’s taken and show the council a piece of the fear they had so happily bred in their own prince.

Instead, he stands behind Yuchan’s chair, resting a hand on his shoulder in silent support. This isn’t his battle to face.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Yuchan cocks his head at the question, looking so incredibly calm despite the way Byeongkwan can see his hands twisting together under the table.

“I didn’t like the offer you made, so I made one of my own.” His voice is firm and it’s easy to see the way some of the council members recoil at having Yuchan speak back to them for the first time. His tone leaves no room for argument and Byeongkwan watches as one of them opens his mouth to speak again, but Yuchan cuts him off. “You are all dismissed as members of the council.”

“You can’t decide that!”

“The royal family has no say in the council!”

Byeongkwan ignores the sudden yelling that comes as the council members push themselves to their feet in anger. They forget themselves so easily, but Byeongkwan will stand by his decision to remain at the prince’s side and that’s what drives him to loosen his hold on his magic even more.

He leans forward and slams the palm of his hand down on the table, watching as fire licks across the surface and quickly engulfs the papers the council had left on its surface.

Silence once again falls over them at the reminder that their prince is not alone. “A sacrifice made by choice holds far more weight than the one you offered. My promise is to him and not to you, so unless you would like to see just what my anger can bring, I suggest you take your leave.”

There’s hesitancy, but within moments, the room clears as one by one the members of the old council leave. Byeongkwan’s not fool enough to ignore the fact that they will have to be dealt with in the future, but for now, he lets them leave.

The door closes behind the last man and leaves the two of them in a now quiet hall.

Byeongkwan leans back, reigning his magic back in now that any immediate threats have been dealt with. “What is your next order of business little one?”

Yuchan looks up, an unsure smile on his face. “Rebuild the council with people who want what’s best for the kingdom.”

“Then that is what we shall do,” Byeongkwan runs his fingers through Yuchan’s hair, nails dragging across his scalp. He melts into the touch and Byeongkwan crouches down beside him. “Where would you like to start?”

Yuchan shifts in his seat to face Byeongkwan, sitting up and reaching out to take Byeongkwan’s hand in his own. “We need to find Sehyoon.”

It’s not the answer he expects, but it’s enough to have him smiling and leaning a forward to press a kiss to Yuchan’s forehead. “Let’s bring him home.”

Art by the lovely [Rum](https://twitter.com/rumisfortweet/)

**Author's Note:**

> Rum drew my favourite scene from this fic at the request of my co-author of this series, Dae. I have not stopped crying since I received it and I am just so so in love. [Art Here!](https://twitter.com/Elesteria/status/1355220382001713152)
> 
> If you want to come talk to me about these boys, possible prompts or anything at all: you can find me over at [twitter](https://twitter.com/Elesteria). I'm always down to chat at new people! You can also find me at [curiouscat](https://t.co/1yfgiUBE0r) if you have any thoughts, prompts or stuff that you're too nervous to say in public.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Every moment that's passed (since the miracle of meeting you)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692216) by [Omegatits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omegatits/pseuds/Omegatits)




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